The Healthy Communities Study (HCS), funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supported by the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR), aims to answer important research questions about how diet, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI) are related to aspects of community programs and policies.
The five-year observational study is assessing community efforts designed to address local childhood obesity rates in areas where those rates are the highest. The study employs a complex design that includes a diverse sample of communities across the country and combines current/cross-sectional and retrospective data over a two-year period.
Study authors, which include NCCOR members, will release a special supplement in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine to describe the study overview and different aspects of the study design.
Articles in the supplement include:
- Pate RR. Overview of the Protocol Manuscripts for the Healthy Communities Study. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 614.
- Arteaga SS, Loria CM, Crawford PB et al. The Healthy Communities Study: Its rationale, aims, and approach. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 615-623.
- Strauss WJ, Sroka CJ, Frongillo EA, et al. Statistical design features of the Healthy Communities Study. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 624-630.
- John LV, Gregoriou M, Pate RR, et al. Operational implementation of the Healthy Communities Study: How communities shape children’s health. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 631-635.
- Fawcett SB, Collie-Akers VL, Schultz JA, Kelley M. Measuring community programs and policies in the Healthy Communities Study. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 636-641.
- Sroka CJ, McIver KL, Sagatov RDF, Arteaga SS, Frongillo EA. Weight status measures collected in the Healthy Communities Study: Protocols and analyses. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 642-646.
- Ritchie LD, Wakimoto P, Woodward-Lopez G. The Healthy Communities Study nutrition assessments: Child diet and the school nutrition environment. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 647-652.
- Pate RR, McIver KL, Colabianchi N. Physical activity measures in the Healthy Communities Study. Am J Prev Med. 2015 Oct; 49(4): 653-659.